Institute of Transport Research

Mobility and transport move people today more than ever: They ensure social participation, economic activity, the ability to get around locally and even a connection to the rest of the world.

Sustainable mobility

In Germany today, a high level of individual mobility has been reached, and this needs to be maintained. At the same time, involvement in the global economy requires new, even more efficient transport concepts. One of the biggest tasks of the future is to achieve sustainability in transport: We are focused on reducing harmful environmental impacts. With regard to social transformations such as demographic change, however, the social component of mobility is also becoming more and more important.

Researchers of various disciplines are researching the developments and prospects of passenger and commercial transport. Our vision: a modern, fit-for-the future transport system, efficient and sustainable for people and the environment.

The Institute’s research fields:

Studies of mobility and trip patterns of people in both private households and businesses

Assessment of technologies and measures regarding their potential effectiveness

Acceptance and usage potential of electric mobility in passenger and commercial transport

Interactions between information and communication technology (ICT) and mobility

Urban mobility in national and international contexts

The Institute for Transport Research is networked via research cooperation and projects on national and international levels. It works together closely with university teaching and research, for instance via our Head of Institute, Prof. Dr. Barbara Lenz, who holds a Professorship in Transport Geography at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, but also through the teaching of a number of our researchers in higher education institutes and other research centers in the region around the capital and beyond.

Whether travelling to work or college, going on holiday or getting around in your free time, mobility is a fundamental human requirement and stands for progress, quality of life, and freedom. With increasing wealth and individualization of lifestyles, passenger transport has been increasing in industrialised countries for decades. A second glance shows, however, that mobility patterns are constantly changing...

Commercial transport in Germany is growing rapidly. Day after day, 80 million people require extensive freight transport and business journeys. Furthermore, there are 4 million businesses in this country that are dependent on an efficient transport infrastructure. Almost a third of all the kilometers covered on Germany’s roads can today be attributed to commercial transport...

Today, more than half of the world’s population is already living in cities. According to UN forecasts it will be around 75% in 2050. The significance of the city as an economic and living space is constantly growing. Mobility in urban areas is a topic where the social, economic and ecological challenges of the 21st century are becoming especially clear. Many new mobility trends are appearing in cities today: In the inner-city...